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From ANU to Wall Street to luxury jewellery: Meet alumna Fiona Tilley

I strongly believe that breadth of perspective and being a well-rounded person is key to successfully executing the role of CEO.

From university bookworm to Wall Street to luxury jewellery, Fiona Tilley's life and career have been rich and varied.

The Arts/Law alumna grew up as an Army brat, living in 13 different places in Australia and abroad across her first 11 years. She found stability in Canberra, attending Belconnen High School and then Hawker College, where she was one of the inaugural graduates.

"I loved every single day at school; playing hooky was never a temptation," Fiona says.

Her studiousness persisted into her ANU days. Fiona describes herself as having been a "boring bookworm" who laboured long nights in the libraries. She also worked three jobs: "I tutored high school kids in maths, physics and grammar; I worked Thursday nights and Saturdays at a local ski shop; and I was a "hostess" in hot pink lame tights at Juliana's nightclub at the Lakeside Hotel (now QT Hotel)."